Focus Scripture: Isaiah 62:1-3
Some of you might be familiar with a nursery rhyme entitled “Wednesday’s Child.” It first appeared in literature in the 1830s and was supposed to predict a child’s character or future based on the child’s day of birth. It was also meant to help young children remember the seven days of the week. You will notice when you hear the rhyme that children born on all the days except Wednesday are predicted to have positive futures. One common modern version goes like this:
Monday’s child is fair of face,
Tuesday’s child is full of grace,
Wednesday’s child is full of woe,
Thursday’s child has far to go,
Friday’s child is loving and giving,
Saturday’s child works hard for a living,
But the child who is born on the Sabbath day
Is fair and wise and good in every way.
As Christians, we have all been called to love our neighbors, and we have been given a vision of what that might look like. As someone who possesses a prophetic vision, we can speak hope and promise into the life of our neighbors. Some of you might be asking me this question: who is our neighbor? I submit to you that the definition of neighbor includes Wednesday’s child. Sometimes Wednesday’s children need someone with a prophetic vision to look past that woeful outer shell and lay eyes on the beauty that lies in their spirit. We have a responsibility to introduce Wednesday’s children to the one who can make everything all right. We need to remind them that God is handing out new names and new identities even as we speak. Today’s scripture reminds us that God sees the best in Wednesday’s children and that a new life is only a prayer away.
